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Sharing thoughts and ideas on business, security and photographyFollow our Springbok World Cup players on Twitter
Posted on August 30, 2011I tried to find as many of our Springbok world cup 2011 players and coaching staff on Twitter as possible. So far 13 players, 2 coaching staff, SA Rugby and Springbok Supporters club. If I have missed any please mail me or send me a message on Twitter.
I added them to a list available here: http://twitter.com/#!/jjza/worldcupbokke2011
A (geek) fan preparing for the Rugby World Cup
Posted on August 30, 2011The RWC 2011 is just a few days from kickoff. As a fan there are those steps we take to try to get the most enjoyment of out of the World Cup. Here are some of the step I have taken, what are you doing?
The Kit
Springbok Rugby Jersey to wear on Fridays and weekend match days to show my support. Ok so it’s not the current year edition of the jersey but it will do 
Official Andoid app
Get it here (link)
It looks pretty impressive, with a long feature list. Some of them I can only check out when the tournament begins, but the page lists :
- live match coverage, including live commentary, stats and video highlights.
- A news feed for all the latest, and the RWC Daily video.
- Details on all the team and the players. There is even a place for a headshot photo of the players, though that didn’t seem to be working for me and may be populated later.
- In New Zealand and want to know what to do? Go to the Fan Zone section to find out what events are on near where you are right now. Details on stadium locations, seating plans and facilities.
All in all, everything you need to find out anything about the teams or the games as the tournament progresses. Be great if it works as advertised.
Follow our Springbok World Cup players on Twitter
I tried to find as many of our Springbok world cup 2011 players and coaching staff on Twitter as possible. So far 13 players, 2 coaching staff, SA Rugby and Springbok Supporters club. If I have missed any please mail me or send me a message on Twitter.
I added them to a list available here: http://twitter.com/#!/jjza/worldcupbokke2011
The results pool
One of my clients invited me to join their predictions pool on www.SuperBru.com. The site has tens of thousands of members (almost 50 000 South African supporters by the looks) and manages many pools for groups of people. Quick to set up, easy to use.
I have made my predictions for the first rounds of games and am very interested to see how I do. A look through the challengers in my pool make me a bit nervous. Some of them have hundreds of Caps, and I sit on a cool zero. I get the feeling their experience will count for something and me being the novice of this am going to see a drubbing, but hey, it’s all part of the fun and you never know.
After making my predictions it was also interesting to see what the rest of the pool members and people around the world were predicting. The site gives you nice graphs of the predictions and you can see where the favourites lie. None of my predictions were too way out. You don’t get to view the predictions of others until you have submitted your own. And once those are in you don’t get to change them. Looking forward to see how I compare. The lure of being in the top 5% calls.
Mobile TV
In this fast paced life we live, knowing where you are going to be when and planning around the games isn’t easy. That doesn’t mean you have to miss the games. DStv’s range of mobile Drifta decoders is going to be a real boon for rugby lovers during this world cup. At just R399 for the USB version, and R36/month subs (free if you have a premium DStv subscription already) this really sets you up.
Carry on working with a quarter of your screen given over to the game, headphones incase someone in your office wants to work and not hear the game, and you are set. Don’t have to miss a thing. You can even flip the picture to the back and just listen to the audio commentary if the games are a little slow and work calls.
If you have an iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch you can use the bigger wireless Drifta (R599) to stream over wi-fi to the little screens wherever you are. Really nice feature if you are out an about and don’t want to miss a thing. Battery life of the Drifta is around 2.5 hrs which more or less matches what you will get from the iPhone when streaming like this. Enough to catch a key game, some highlights and still make one or two calls to keep out of trouble.
Review of Drifta here, USB Drifta here and frequently asked questions here.
The PC/Xbox/PS3 Game
There is an official video game for the tournament. I was tempted to get it, but the reviews have been scathing, accusing the developers of cashing in for a quick buck. It is a watered down version of previous versions, with the same limited graphics and gameplay, far fewer tournaments to play, and only about half of the players/teams licensed. Scrapped that idea. A search at metacritic doesn’t leave me with much hope of finding a decent alternate.
Have the game and have some thoughts? please share.
Real Beer
I visited my local craft beer brewery (Robsons/Shongweni brewery) and picked up a case of their beer. It is really great and probably won’t make it to the first game of the tournament. I will have to make another visit next weekend to pick up some more. If you are in KZN, try and get hold of some of their bottled conditioned beers. Taste those flavours and see why so many people are moving away from mass-produced beers.
What prep are you doing ahead of the RWC2011?
I would be interested to hear what other preparations you have made/are making to enjoy the tournament to the maximum.
Security and Ethics presentation at UKZN MBA Class 2011
Posted on August 24, 2011I presented to the 2011 MBA class last week on Information Security and Ethics. A copy of the presentation is uploaded for those who are interested.
Drop me a mail or tweet if you have questions on anything or need more info.
Download here : security and ethics 2011 UKZN mba Aug 2011.pdf
My thoughts on the USB DStv Drifta (Review)
Posted on August 05, 2011Update : The new iDrifta has been released (iDevice only) – unboxing here. Review to follow.
First reactions from my son :
- Aww Dad, it’s so cute. Look how tiny it is compared to the old one.
- Dad, I can’t plug in the memory stick next to the Drifta.
That, in a nutshell, sums up the new USB DStv Drifta. It’s small and cute, not quite the size of a memory stick (just a tad fatter), so overlaps a second USB slot when plugged in (a cable is supplied to solve this). It works, and well, but doesn’t really cure any of the inherent problems with the first Drifta. That said, in the right scenarios it is a great device.
USB Drifta with Aerial extended
Onto the review proper :
Back on 14 July 2011 DStv announced (officially) the new USB DStv Drifta (release here). The release and the pictures made the device look interesting. A week later their PR team mailed me and offered me a Drifta to test out and review (well, they just offered to send me one, my assumption it was to test and review).
This review doesn’t intend to rehash all of the detail from my review last year. This in many ways is just a simpler, smaller, cheaper version of the Drifta and it works much in the same way. Go and read that review if you want to understand more about the DStv mobile product as opposed to the USB Drifta itself.
Please help Marketing Research students of the Commerce Faculty of UCT:LinkedIn Survey
Posted on August 04, 2011To whom it may concern, please fill out the following questionnaire with regard to your use of the social networking site LinkedIn. The completion of this questionnaire should not take more than five minutes. This survey has been issued by the Marketing Research students of the Commerce Faculty of the University of Cape Town. You will remain anonymous in your response and thus all your answers will be kept confidential.
How do unused “free minutes” carry forward and get used up
Posted on August 04, 2011Finally got my phone back from Vodacom… Thanks Helena and @UysPJ
Posted on August 03, 2011My ongoing saga with Vodacom with respect to my faulty phone is now (mostly) resolved. Thanks to Helena and @uyspj.
Background for those who missed it :
- Got a new HTC desire on contract during late May
- It worked for +- 10 days then died
- Took it back to Vodacare, they confirmed it was dead (at very least the battery was stone dead and couldn’t be “boosted”), I asked for replacement under CPA as I thought was my right, they said go back Vodashop
- Vodashop manager was extremely unhelpful, said CPA doesn’t apply to them, and they don’t represent Vodacom
- I left the phone at the shop (on the counter and walked out) after laying a complaint with Vodacare against the shop
- Same day I laid a complaint on Hello Peter
- Had various interactions with Vodacom people over two months, nothing useful – weeks would go by while they were “waiting for feedback” from someone else
I sent a twitter message to @uyspj (just one) who responded immediately. Thank you Pieter, I really do admire you for interacting with your clients and following through on your actions.
@uyspj had Helena call me the next day, she asked a whole lot of questions, I mailed through what I had and forwarded various SMS’s, Helena then followed up for me.
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